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Henry Arce automation · AI · data

Your Power BI report isn’t refreshing: causes and fixes

You open the report and the data is from yesterday, or you get a “refresh failed” email. It is almost always one of these six causes, and most take minutes to fix. Start with the semantic model’s refresh history in the Power BI service: the error message is there. If you can’t find it, I’ll go through it with you.

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The six most common causes

From most to least frequent. For each one, the clue that gives it away and what to do.

Cause 1

Expired credentials

Someone changed the password of the database, of Microsoft 365 or of the user the report connects with.

  • In the Power BI service, open the semantic model settings, go to “Data source credentials” and sign in again.
  • Use a service account whose password doesn’t expire, instead of a person’s.

Cause 2

The gateway isn’t responding

The data comes from a company server or folder, and the error mentions the gateway.

  • Check that the machine it’s installed on is switched on, connected and not asleep.
  • Update it: Microsoft releases a new version almost every month.
  • Better on a server than on someone’s laptop.

Cause 3

A file was moved or renamed

The report reads an Excel or CSV file and someone changed its folder, name or sheet.

  • Point to the new path in Power Query, under “Data source settings”.
  • Keep the files in SharePoint or OneDrive and connect by their web address: then no gateway is needed.

Cause 4

A column changed

The error says a column can’t be found (“The column … of the table wasn’t found”).

  • Someone renamed or removed a column in the Excel file or the ERP view.
  • Adjust the Power Query step that uses it, or agree that the source keeps its names.

Cause 5

The schedule switched itself off

The report stopped refreshing with no new errors and the scheduled refresh shows as disabled.

  • Power BI disables it after four failures in a row, and pauses it if nobody opens the report for two months.
  • Fix the cause, open the report and switch the schedule back on.

Cause 6

It takes too long

The error mentions a timeout or size.

  • With Power BI Pro, each scheduled refresh can run for two hours at most.
  • Remove unused columns and rows, filter at the source and consider incremental refresh.

What’s included

Diagnosis

I check the refresh history, the gateway and the credentials until I find the failure.

Fix

I fix the cause: credentials, paths, Power Query steps or the gateway configuration.

Paths that don’t break

I move the Excel files to SharePoint or OneDrive, so moving a file doesn’t break the report again.

Alert if it fails again

I set up the failure emails so they reach whoever has to fix it, not only the report owner.

Lighter report

If it takes too long, I cut data and Power Query steps so it refreshes in minutes.

Power BI service, on-premises data gateway, Power Query, SharePoint, OneDrive, SQL Server

How we work

  1. Free review45 minutes on a video call to look at your data, your tasks and what really takes up your time.
  2. Written proposalWhat gets built, how many rounds of changes, the fixed price and the deadline, set once I have seen the data.
  3. BuildI show you progress along the way. You pay 50% to start and 50% on delivery, always with an invoice.
  4. Delivery and trainingI leave it working, documented and explained to your team. If you like, I carry on with monthly maintenance.

Why work with me?

What changes compared with hiring an agency or off-the-shelf software

  1. You talk to the person who builds itWhoever listens to you in the review is who designs, codes and delivers the work. No sales reps, no middlemen.
  2. I know how a company works day to dayI have worked with data since 2019, first in consulting and now inside industry, with ERPs such as A3, SAP or Clavei.
  3. A fixed price, in writingBefore we start you know what gets built, how many rounds of changes there are and what it costs. No surprises at the end.
  4. Your data, looked afterI work read-only whenever possible and the applications live on EU servers with nightly backups.
  5. No lock-inI hand the work over documented, and much of what I do is open source: you can see how I work before you call me.
  6. I measure what you gainI note how long the task takes today and how long afterwards, so you know whether it was worth it.

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Frequently asked questions

Why isn’t my Power BI refreshing today?
Look at the semantic model’s refresh history first: the error message usually tells you the cause. The most common ones are expired credentials, a gateway that is off or a file that has been moved.
What if the problem is Power BI itself?
It happens, though rarely. Check the Power BI service status page. If there is an incident, don’t touch anything: refresh works again once Microsoft fixes it.
How many times a day can it refresh?
With Power BI Pro, up to 8 scheduled refreshes a day. With Premium Per User or a Fabric capacity, up to 48.
How much does it cost for you to fix it?
It depends on the cause. Tell me which error you get and I’ll send you a fixed quote before starting, with no obligation.

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